Information and communication technology are constantly growing and evolving. Along with this growth comes the need to improve and upgrade the infrastructure associated with the transmission of information such as, for example, voice, data, and video. Current infrastructure consists primarily of metal based signal conductors, such as copper wires. Individual wires are typically bundled in a cable and deployed between the service provider's facilities to all necessary locations. In order to keep pace with consumer demands for increased data transmission, however, it is necessary to increase the bandwidth available to carry signals (e.g., voice, data, video, etc.) beyond that available with existing cables utilizing copper wires.
One way of achieving such improvement involves migrating and/or upgrading from metal based signal conductors to faster, higher bandwidth conductors such as optical fiber (also referred to as fiber optics or simply fiber). Although it is possible to increase the capacity of cables containing copper wires, this requires significantly increasing the number wires within the cable. Increasing the number of wires, however, results in a corresponding increase in both size and weight. It also becomes more difficult to handle and deploy the larger cable.
Unlike copper-based wires, however, optical fibers do not carry power (i.e., electricity). They only carry signals corresponding to voice, data, video, etc. The power is necessary however, because it is used by various stations and equipment which transmit and/or process the signals carried by the optical fibers. Stations and equipment which process signals from cables consisting of optical fibers would therefore require a separate power source such as, for example, the local power grid. When deploying in certain rural areas, a separate power source may not be available to use with the cable. During a power failure, however, service to existing customers could be limited and/or interrupted, thus resulting in obstacles to reliable service. Further complicating migration to optical fiber cables is the need to properly ground the cable itself in order to provide a return current path and to minimize safety risks.
Based on the foregoing, there is a need for upgrading legacy metal based signal cables to optical fiber, and for supplying power independent of the local electric grid.